In 2013, BJ Minson was finishing his Masters thesis in Mechanical Engineering the University of Utah. Born with a mind for how things work and a penchant for keeping things simple, BJ dedicated himself to finding elegant solutions to complex problems. It was during this time that the idea for the GRIP6 belt was formed.

A self proclaimed minimalist, BJ is always looking for products that last longer, work better, and simplify everyday life. “The best products are the ones that do their jobs without a lot of fanfare” he says. One of BJ’s personal pet peeves - was belts.

“First you have that obnoxious flap, then the constant battle between one hole too loose or too tight, then the stretching of leather, the slipping of webbing – it drove me crazy. I wasn’t event thinking about it as an engineer, just as a consumer. I really just wanted a good belt.”

Like so many other GRIP6 stories, the problem would eventually be solved in-house. BJ’s mechanical mind was eventually applied to belts and shortly thereafter, a new concept was born. Several prototypes were made and sent out to friends and family simply as gifts.

“I had no real intention of starting a company at that point. That just wasn’t on my radar. I was just excited that it was holding up my pants.”

It didn’t take long before the next step became obvious. BJ launched a Kickstarter campaign to generate capital and called upon two brothers and life-long friends, David and Winslow Burton for help. David put up additional funds and Winslow signed on to help manage the overwhelming number of orders coming in during the campaign.

Once they had satisfied the initial surge, they set their sights on improving the process and developing a production strategy that would allow them to increase the scale while continuing to source and manufacture their belts in the US. The dedication to the product and the process paid off. In the following 18 months, GRIP6 sales would grow by more than 1800%.

In the fall of 2016, BJ reached out to another old friend - Kevin Rogers, to assist in new product development and lead their newly formed Wholesale Sales Division. Kevin developed valuable retail relationships through 20 years in Utah’s ski industry and has used that experience to fast track GRIP6 into the heart of the outdoor market.

Today, GRIP6 has grown to 20 employees who carefully craft the best belts on the market.

Kevin and Hi Altitude have had a relationship for over 15 years; from Kevin and Jason’s days of mountaineering and summiting peaks together; to the years of working side by side professionally when Kevin was a GM at an independent retailer in Utah. Hi Altitude was thrilled at the opportunity to join the young and growing Grip6 team.

Do you wonder how a Grip6 belt works? Are you worried about having to put it on and not know how? How about, which size to choose? At Grip6 we want to answer all of those questions for you. Below check out our videos to find out all of those questions and more. If you have extra questions, feel free to email us at grip6@grip6.com.